Last week, the board of governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education voted to make interim president, and longtime Pittsburgh resident, Aaron Walton, president of Cheyney University, the financially-troubled HBCU near Philadelphia.
And days later, that choice, though not without controversy, appears to have been vindicated.
“We just received notice from Middle States Commission on Higher Education that Cheyney has been granted another year of accreditation on probationary status,” Walton told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive phone interview, Nov. 20. “The full report will be up on their website soon.”
[pullquote]“Unquestionably, Aaron Walton has demonstrated his commitment to Cheyney University and to helping to secure its future—working tirelessly on behalf of the institution and its students over the past nearly six months.”
CYNTHIA SHAPIRA
PSSHE board chair[/pullquote]Walton, 70, is a retired vice president at Highmark, and was hired as Cheyney’s interim president in May, shortly after it was announced that the university, beset by declining enrollment and financial woes, was in jeopardy of losing its Middle States accreditation.
At the time, he had to resign from the PSSHE board to accept the position, but he was also serving as co-chair of the Cheyney board-appointed task force, which constructed and approved, a “conceptual framework” for a new business model for the university, that also called for creating an “Institute for the Contemporary African American Experience” within the university.
If that weren’t controversial enough, the board had to waive a requirement that presidential search committees consult with a search firm and submit two names for consideration to any appointment.
Following the vote, Cynthia Shapira, chair of the PSSHE board issued a statement, assuring other institutions it oversees that the policy was waived solely because Cheyney faced the loss of its accreditation, and that she has full faith in Walton leadership.
“I am willing to entertain any prudent and legal action within our authority that can help preserve the university’s future. Cheyney University is America’s oldest historically Black university, and it has an important role in our society,” she said.
“Unquestionably, Aaron Walton has demonstrated his commitment to Cheyney University and to helping to secure its future—working tirelessly on behalf of the institution and its students over the past nearly six months.”
Since his arrival, he has helped to put together a long-term financial plan for the university that includes hiring a provost, which has already been done, and a CFO, for which the search continues.
In August, PSSHE voted to forgive $30 million in loans it provided to the school, providing the budget is balanced in each of the next four years. So, Walton has agreed to serve until then. His salary will remain at $248,000.
“This was a one-time exception (to the board policy) because stability and leadership were among the Middle States’ issues. Besides, I was on the task force before I even came on—So I was already working on implementing the plan,” Walton said. “But I agreed to do it because it had to be done. There is too much at stake not to do this. This university has been here for 180 years, and I want it to be here for 180 more. It’s all about the students and we need to maintain continuity for them to finish their degrees. It’s critical.”
This isn’t the first time Walton has come to the rescue. Shortly after retiring from Highmark, he was among those who initially saved the August Wilson Center for African American Culture from bankruptcy, and served as its board chair. He is also a past board chair of NEED, the Negro Emergency Education Drive, and a founding member of 100 Black Men of Western Pennsylvania.
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
